Coin-operated vending-machine.



.1. SCHWIETERMAN. G01N OPERATED vENmNG MACHINE.

APPLlCAlON FILED 1AN.25. 1916.

Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

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61km@ Q .1. SCHWIETERIAAII. com OPERATEU VENDING MAC .sa

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 25, 1916.

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CLEM J'. SCHWIETERMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR- TO SURBRUG CHOCOLATE CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

COIN-OPERATED VENDING-IVIACHINE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 121'?.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CLEM J. SCHWIETER- MAN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city, county, and State of New York, and whose post-oiiice address is 781 East One Hundred and Forty-second street, care of Nelson Tool Company, in said city, have .invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-Operated Vending- Machines, of which the following is a speciication.

My invention relates to machines for dispensing candy, confections, chocolate and the like, and its object is to cheapen the cost of construction and simplify the arrangement and combination of parts, and particularly to dispense with the use of the manual act of discharging the article to be vended, following the release by the detaining devices of the coin. With these objects in view, I have devised. the construction shown and described in the drawings forming part hereof, and specifically pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings forming part of this speciiication` Figure 1 is a transverse sectional elevation through the machine substantially on the line a-a of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation substantially on the line -b of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a portion of the case showing the method of pivoting the trap plate thereto; and Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are respectively sectional elevations from a portion of the casing showing the positions occupied by the trap plate and tripping mechanism, during the three stages of the operations through which these parts go.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In order to properly house the devices hereinafter described, any convenient or desirable form of casing may be used. The one illustrated here consists of a back plate 1, having a dependent bracket 2, apertured at the ends, as at 8, to allow the article to be vended to be dropped therein and removed laterally therefrom. At 4 is a front plate supported at the bottom by a ledge 5 extending from the bracket 2, and provided with a top 6, abutting against the back 1 to which it may be secured by a lock, or otherwise, as desired.

The back plate 1 has sides 7 which serve, with the other parts, to inclose the operating mechanism. At 8 is a plate conveniently secured within the casing as by a flange 9 secured to the ledge 5 of the bracket 2, at the bottom, and otherwise secured to the sides 7 of the casing. This plate and the back 1 form a containing chute, its lower opening alining with the depression in the bracket 2. One of the side plates 7 is apertured, as at 10, for the insertion of a coin. This aperture leads to a coin chute 11, the inner wall of which is secured to the sides 7 of the casing and which has an inwardly and downwardly curved mouth 12. This chute is located in the space 13 between the plates 4 and 8, the bottom being closed by the flange 9 and ledge 5 respectively, so as to make a container for the coins passing from the chute 11, access to which is had only by removal of the plate 4. The merchandise chute 14 is located on the opposite side of the plate 8.

y improvements have been specically designed for the purpose of dispensing articles contained in a cylindrical body, such as shown at 15, and which have a diameter substantially coeXtensive with the distance between the sides 7 of the casing; although it will be clear that my improvements may be used in connection with a differently constructed casing and for the purpose of dispensinp articles of entirely different and varying shapes.

An important feature of my invention consists in means, contained within the merchandise chute, which will support the article to be vended combined with further means for tripping or otherwise moving the said support so as to free the article and allow it to pass down the chute and be vended, -such means automatically returning to the lirst position where it will support the neXt succeeding article and prevent it from passing the support until it is again freed by the action of the coin operated devices.

The specific embodiment of means which I have employed in the structure disclosed herein for accomplishing these results will now be described.

In the walls 7 of the casing, or in any other desirable way, is pivoted, as at 16, a segmental plate 18 with its concave surface presented to or facing the chute 14, and

which is preferably pivoted so close tothe plate 8 that it will, at the end of its two pivoting actions, hug the plate 8 as close as possible, in order to avoid choking the pas-` sage. Directly opposite the plate 18, which from the nature of its action 1 call a trap plate, the wall 1 is provided with a segmental groove 19 for a purpose hereinafter described. rlhe wall 8 immediately at the rear of the plate 18 is provided with a slotv 20 and through this slot projects a pin 21 securedk at one end to the back of the trap plate.

At 22cis a gravity latch or detent pivoted to the plate 8 by the pin 23. One end of the latch is provided with a downwardly and forwardly extending nose or projection 24E which has a plane of movement within the opening or mouth of the chute 11, and the other end of the latch is provided with a Weighted enlargement or counter poise 25. The nose or projection 24 is slotted, as at 26 and through thisY slot the pin 21 extends.

TheA operatic-nef the device as thus constructed is as follows: Normally the counterpoise weight` 25 maintains the nose or projectionv 24 in operative alinement with the chute 11. As the coin is dropped into the chute,` it passes through the curved portion 12 and contacts with the nose or pro-- jection 24, the weight of the nose and the coin combined being greater than that of the counter poise 25, and the resistance to vibration which is imposed upon the trap plate 18, the latch 22 will be vibrated upon its pivot 23; a ledge 27 being added as a continuation of the chute 11 in order to continue the descent of the coin 28 in operative contact with the nose 211V until the same is swung into the position shown in` dotted lines in Fig. 1, when the coin will` be freed from the contact withthe nose and` drop to the bottom of the space 13.

The articles 15, previous to the insertion ofthe coin, have been lying in thel chute 14, one superposed upon the other, the lowermost one bearing on the upper edge of the trap plate 18, as shown in-Fig. 2. The trap plate being pivoted and connected with the latch 22,.by the pin 21and slot 26, as hereinbeforedescrlibed, will be vibrated by the downward movement of the, latch 224, allowing theA lower-most article 15 to pass in front of it and move into the recess formed by thel projectionP 19 in the plate 1.

The counter poise 25 restores the latch 22 to its normal position, shown in Fig, 6, which.v movement restores the trap plate 18 to the position shown in that figure, with the upper edge of thetrap plate engaging the next article; the lowermost article having passed down the chute. This operation, while it has freed the lowermost article 15, which has previously rested uponthe trap plate, causes the chute 14 to be narrowed,

so that the succeeding article has come to rest upon the upper edge of the trap plate 18, where it will be supported until the latch is again energized in the manner heretofore set forth.

The counter poise 25 acts to restore the latch to its normal position of confronting the mouth of the chute 11, but the slot and pinv connection between it and the trap plate is such as to allow the weight of the article 15 passing over the segmental surface of the trap plate, to vibrate the latter independently of the counter poise 25 so that the weight, of such article itself aids and assists the counter poise, and to a certain extent acts independently thereof,v in and to restoring the trap plate t9 'its normal position and supporting the article 15 thereon, and the latch in its normal position with relation to the chute 11. Thus-it will be seen that the oper-ation ofthe device is continuously automatic, and rendered certain, whether the-weight of the superposed article 15 resting onthe trap plate 1'8`be always the same, or be continuously lessened during the operation of the device.

lt is manifest that mv invention is susceptible to various modifications. without departing from its spirit, for l do not intend that it shall be` limited toz the precise construction shown herein, as the s ame is broad enough to extend to any embodiment thereof apprehended within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. 1n a device of the class described, the combination with a suitable casing, of an article chutea movable trap or support in the articlechute, a coinl chute, a pivoted latch, a counter poise on one end of said latch, the other endA of sa'idlatch being disposed in the path of a coin passing through the coin chute, said latch being engaged with the trap plate intermediate the ends ofr the latch for vibrating the trap plate.

2. 1n a device of the class described, the combination with a suitable casing, of an article chute, a movablel trap or support pivotally mounted in the article cliute, a pivoted latch with its pivot at right anglesto the pivot ofthe trap plate, being pivotally engaged with the trap plate between the ends of said latch,` one4 end of saidV latch adaptedv to bel engaged byga coiny passing through the coin chute andY means` on the other end of said latch for restoring it to. its normal position with 'its coin-engaging end in the pathway of the coin chute.

3. In a device ofthe class described, the combination withy a., suitable GaSing, a coin chute and an article chute, aI plate separatingl saidv chutes, a trapA plate movably mounted in the article chute,and having a projection extending through an opening 1n the plate, a pivoted latch mountedon the lll plate and having an opening intermediate its ends engaging the projection on the trap plate and for vibrating said plate.

4L. In a device of the class described, the l.

combination with a suitable casing, of an article chute and a coin chute disposed Within said casing and separated by a plate, a trap plate having a surface coniiguration adapted to engage the article to be vended pivoted to the Walls of the casing, a projection on said trap plate extending through an aperture in the plate separating the coin chute and article chute, a latch pivoted to said plate having a portion disposed-in the path of the coin chute and adapted to be engaged by a coin passing through said chute, a counterpoise on the latch and an opening in said latch engaged by the projection on the trap plate. a

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a suitable casing, of an article chute and a coin chute disposed Within said casing and separated by a plate, an annular trap plate pivoted to the side Walls of the casing, a projection on the rear of said trap plate extending through an opening in the plate between the chutes, a latch pivoted to said plate having one of its ends disposed in the path of the coin chute and adapted to be engaged by a coin passing through said chute, a counter poise on the other end of said latch, an opening in said latch engaging the projection on the trap plate for vibrating said trap plate and a segmental groove formed in the rear Wall of the casing opposite the trap plate.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination with a suitable casing, of an article chute and a coin chute disposed Within said casing and separated by a plate, a trap plate having a surface configuration adapted to engage an article to be vended pivotally secured to the side Walls of the casing, a projection on the rear side of the trap plate extending through an opening in the plate separating the coin chute and the article chute, a latch pivotally secured to said plate having its nose disposed in the path of the coin chute and adapted to be engaged by a coin passing through said chute,

a counter poise or Weight on said latch, an

opening in the nose portion of said latch engaging the projection on the trap plate and vibrating said trap plate and a segmental groove formed in the rear Wall of the casing opposite the trap plate.

-Signed at th-e city, county and State of New York, this 22d day of January, 1916.

CLEM J. SCHWXETERMAN.

Copiesv of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

